Green Spaces Issue

We are grateful to the Institute of
Landscape Design for giving us permission
to put the article 'Global Village' by
Care Rishbeth, Sheffield University, on
the BEN website. The article first
appeared in the journal 'Landscape
Design' May 2002. If you which to explore
landscape design further, go to their
website www.landscape.co.uk

The landscape of the global
village

What's the landscape equivalent of
soy sauce, the Notting Hill Carnival and
Bhagra?
Are our open spaces representative of
users; ethnic diversity? Clare Rishbeth
questions whether the landscape
profession is rising to the challenge of
a multi-cultural society.

Globalisation: bureaucracy, corporate
takeovers and the glorification of the
massive at the expense of the small and
fragile. The profession of landscape
architecture may rightly posture itself
as the antithesis of this - people
working with culturally-specific forms
and natural patterns, striving to reflect
the locally peculiar. Landscape
architects often consider it important to
be rooted geographically; we design to be
site specific, but is this approach
limited in only addressing one type of
diversity -geographic diversity? That
London is different from Edinburgh is
important to us; climate, geology, built
form and civic culture all inform
different decisions to be made during the
design process. Other aspects of
distinctiveness, though, are less easy to
define. This article approaches one of
them - the issue of ethnic diversity.

Movement of people across borders and
continents is no new phenomenon, but the
explosion of travel, migration and
international communication which has
marked the last half century has
irreversibly changed the citizenship and
experience of cities today. If people and
culture shape city form, the challenge is
to enhance a local character that
reflects the histories of both cities and
city dwellers. Can such an
acknowledgement of global influences
relating to city life lead away from a
stifling uniformity? On the micro-level
of urban experience, walking through a
cross-section of neighbourhoods in
London, Manchester or Birmingham would
offer a hopeful response. Local
distinctiveness of place - though
underpinned by a structure of building
materials, scale of buildings and details
of architecture - is most clearly
described by the culture of its
residents. People arrive, settle and
produce their own culture - sari shops,
Chinese supermarkets and Irish pubs are a
tacit adaptation of a place for living.
One neighbourhood is different from the
next. The shops, eating establishments,
and the events in community centres all
lead the way to a complex embodiment of
ethnic identities which have been
transformed, transferred, fused together
or set in contrast. In comparison,
buildings and parts - the urban realm of
the charge of environmental professionals
- lag behind, seemingly deaf to this
dialogue of multi-ethnic voices.

There are valid reasons why the ethnic
influences that have started to enrich
our media, our fashion, our food, our
music, are not often found expressed in
our public spaces. We value our built
heritage as something special and
threatened by fashionable whims. The
relative permanence of city form tends to
impose a requirement for longevity, a
less immediate and accessible creativity
than one in which products are quickly
consumed and re-created. The public
nature of a landscape architect's work
requires a response to a democratically
negotiated set of values. The inherent
danger is that pleasing most of the
people most of the time tends to maintain
the status quo, rather than engendering
change or supporting minority
requirements.

People from ethnic minority groups
have a range of experiences of living in
Great Britain, some of which are
significantly different from the majority
white population. Within both these
groups there are key differences with
regard to feelings of national identity
and of religious practice. The term
'ethnic minority groups' includes people
born in the United Kingdom, but with
parents of different ethnic backgrounds
as well as first generation immigrants. A
report from the Runnymead Trust states
that, "All communities [minority and
majority] are changing and complex, with
internal diversity and
disagreements." Despite the
difficulty of terminology and definition,
it is important to address the issues and
impact of a multi-cultural society. A
well intentioned 'colour-blindness' is
not an adequate response if designed
landscapes are to be inclusive. The
situation is far from simple, with a
range of social, cultural and
environmental factors which need at least
to be acknowledged - and many of which
need to be addressed on a political as
well as an individual level.

Ethnic diversity in park use

Should landscape architects make
different design decisions with regard to
the ethnic profile of users? What
difference does this make to their work?
Research has, in the past, tended to
focus on environmental perception,
questioning whether one group of people
rates views for scenic value differently
from another. In terms of ethnicity,
these findings are contradictory. More
pertinent, though, are the studies into
the concept of place attachment - the
importance of places as having cultural
and symbolic value beyond their
appearance. For immigrants, this
underlies the importance of the physical
landscape as a contribution to culture
shock and the challenge of feeling
'settled' in a new country. A study into
a range of factors which influenced the
experience of transition by people who
emigrated from the former Soviet Union to
Israel, found that the strongest
'homesickness' was for the parks that
people had left behind.(2) Another study
discussed with a group of Asian women
their use and perception of parks in
South London and drew a link between
using open space and a sense of the
'homeland'; the importance of open space
both as a conduit for nostalgia and as a
way of recognising familiarity in the
new.'

More easily defined examples relate to
differences in how groups and individuals
use public open space. Research in the
United States of America found
significant differences in the patterns
of use and qualities valued in Los
Angeles parks by Hispanic, African
American, Chinese and white users. (4)
For example, the Hispanics tended to use
the parks in large groups, brought
picnics and rated the relaxing and social
aspects most highly. Chinese people,
however, were significantly absent from
the parks, despite the many Chinese
living locally. In discussion with the
few Chinese users, the researchers found
a discrepancy between the existing park
design and the Chinese perception of an
ideal park as an exquisite, beautiful
space.

To acknowledge that cultural
expectations of parks can influence both
the value people place on different park
attributes and patterns of preferred use
is of vital importance to landscape
architects. This may be a case of
addressing specific barriers to full use
and enjoyment of urban open space, or
taking positive steps to allow
multi-cultural influences to break into
public spaces!

In recent years a number of programmes
have addressed the issues of barriers to
use of the countryside and of
environmental activities in the UK by
ethnic minority groups. A number of
factors are cited, among them:
 low socio-economic factors,
particularly the need to work long hours
and low car ownership;
 negative experience of the British
weather. This may seem a facile
statement, but climate underpins the
pattern of outdoor activities:
 a lack of information and
awareness about the countryside;
 worries about getting lost and
coming into contact with animals.

Black Environmental Network (BEN) has
been instrumental in developing
programmes in partnership with bodies
such as the National Parks and the Youth
Hostel Association to provide positive
experiences of outdoor activities in the
countryside. (5)

Anecdotal evidence seems to be
variable regarding the use of urban parks
by ethnic minority groups, and there has
been no comprehensive study to help
identify key issues. Some parks do
attract a good range of users across
ethnic groups, though the pattern and
time of use may vary between these.
Studies into issues of fear in urban
settings point to higher levels of fear
being expressed by ethnic minority
groups, especially by women. Fear of
racial attack or harassment cause people
to modify their behaviour and may limit
park use. For Muslims, there is also a
need to avoid contact with dogs, a
practical disincentive to using many
parks. Wider themes regarding territory
and sense of ownership -of articulating
inclusion rather than taking it for
granted - must also be regarded as
important.

Design and management for a
multi-cultural society

With regard to design style and
activity provision, what aspects of
today's parks and urban spaces need to
evolve to better reflect the needs and
aspirations of a multi-cultural society?
The most obvious way by which landscape
architects may try and be
'multi-cultural' is by the use of symbols
in the landscape. Designers can create
landscapes or landscape elements that
identify a particular culture in a form
that is open to a single interpretation.
As a society, people are very adept at
recognising a shape or pattern as
representative of a culture or country,
so we easily identify a Chinese pagoda, a
mogul arch or a national flag. The most
extreme form of this is epitomised by the
theme park, which plays a facile game of
'spot the stereotype'. Creation of
cultural landscapes in this way often
exaggerates in order to communicate
difference.

One urban example are Chinatowns -
streets which are a collection of pagoda,
ceremonial arches, dragon litter bins and
pagoda telephone boxes. They are not
realistic - streets are not actually like
those in China - but a combination of
effects signals 'China'. In parks and
community gardens influences are often
interpreted by artists, using mosaics,
sculptures or patterns, which can be read
as an emblem of a multi-cultural society,
or reflect a nationality which is of
particular significance. Designs which
seek to recreate a traditional garden -
for example Mogul or Japanese - also draw
on our recognition of symbolic 'types',
rather than reflect everyday landscapes
in the respective countries.

Positive aspects of this approach are
the ease of recognition and the clear
message to members of the ethnic
community concerned that they are
acknowledged and welcome in the area.
Skilled community artists or landscape
architects can involve local people and
draw on their interpretation of the forms
and symbols which are important to them.
Interventions can be made on a range of
scales such as Victoria Park in Bradford
- a mogul garden - or the plaques
depicting different countries in pavement
mosaics around Cardiff Arms Park Stadium,
Wales. The difference between symbols
which are 'self-produced' by ethnic
groups or those which are produced by
outsiders is a question relevant to the
wider debate on the link between
participation and successful design.

However, use of symbols and the
construction of visual 'identities' is
potentially problematic because of the
literal nature of the cultural
interpretation. They can re-enforce
stereotypes and provide a caricature of a
complex identity. Attention is focused on
the superficial likeness of objects which
can jar both with the original culture
and local distinctiveness. Use of symbols
can provoke strong emotional responses,
and though this may increase a feeling of
inclusion for some, other ethnic groups
may feel excluded or marginalised
(especially if there has been a tense
history between the groups). Trying to
articulate a multi-cultural situation
(rather than one particular influence)
requires particular skill to avoid a
visually chaotic result.

Planting character

It is important not to limit our
response to a multi-cultural society to
the level of theme park design, and there
are more subtle approaches that may
effectively be used in landscape design
and management. One is that of reflecting
landscape character through planting -
capturing an essence of a world region
through selected plants. This is achieved
most dramatically in the Eden Project,
Cornwall and because a variety of
non-native plants grow happily in
Britain, multi-million pound biomes are
not a necessity for a smaller scale
effect. Plants can capture the character,
scent and touch of another land, can tune
into nostalgia and recognition as well as
being enjoyable irrespective of these
things. Good interpretation can have an
educational importance, recognising that
there is much in our soft landscape that
is 'ethnically diverse'. Black
Environmental Network has carried out
projects with schools to create
multi-cultural gardens through planting,
and has compiled a list of suitable
plants.

Recognising the diversity of park use
could also be thought through with
reference to the leisure patterns of
ethnic minority groups. In many cities,
successful allotment projects have been
particularly set up for the use of
different ethnic groups. As well as
having nutritional and health benefits,
food growing can echo use of open space
in the home country and provide a stake
of ownership in the new environment.
Should sports facilities reflect national
interests (cricket or football, tai-chi
or rambling)? If many locals prefer to
use parks in large groups eating picnics
this should be reflected in the design of
the space and seating provision Holding
large and noisy multi-cultural music
events in parks, and ensuring a range of
food from different countries is
available in park cafés, have both
proved to be popular park management
measures to attract more park use among
ethnic minority groups. It is important
to remember that there is no simple
pattern of acculturation by ethnic
groups, and the strength of this approach
is that it can be inclusive and flexible.
Ethnic diversity is not evident in the
landscape professions. British students
from ethnic minority groups are
under-represented in landscape courses.
No figures are available for the
profession as a whole, but anecdotal
evidence suggests that the vast majority
of British practitioners are also white,
though individual practices may be
exceptions to this.

However, it is important that
landscapes are designed and managed for a
multi-cultural society. Compared to the
medical, law and education sectors, the
debate regarding inclusiveness of the
landscape profession and its work is
happily less prone to political
flagwaving. That does not diminish its
importance. The ethnic diversity of
British citizens should be an opportunity
for exciting new approaches which lead to
stimulating and unusual public
environments. If we dismiss it as
tokenism, we may miss the chance to
engage and contribute to an invigorating
discussion regarding multi-cultural urban
renewal.

References

'The Runnymead Trust, a community
of communities and citizens -
summary of the report by the
Commission for the Future of
Multi-Ethnic Britain', London,
2000.

The embodiment of
spiritual and social feelings, and a
sense of belonging for individuals and
the communities are extremely important
for ethnic communities. Attention must be
given to these areas

Manchester Green Spaces Focus Group

I have been involved in
the care, improvement and creation of
green spaces. When I started, people
thought I was doing it as part of
community service - for doing some crime
- they thought I was a criminal. But
after a while when they saw me out there
regularly they started to ask me what I
was doing and taking an interest.

Birmingham Green Spaces Focus Group

None of us would choose to go where we
are made to feel that we do not belong. A
green space is not an isolated island. It
is part of the public realm, where anyone
can go. Developing a sense of belonging
means addressing the interface, not only
between ethnic communities and those
responsible for the green space, but also
the ambience of the space created by all
those who use it.

The picture given by the participants
in the BEN Green Spaces Focus Groups
shows us that there are many themes to be
aware of when we proceed to address the
layers of experience which promote a
sense of belonging.

The first part of this paper flags up
some of the themes to be addressed. The
second part goes on to see what we may
do.

Themes relating to a sense of
belonging

Some themes to be aware of in relation
to a sense of belonging:

1. Newcomers feeling like strangers or
intruders
2. Being made unwelcome by others who use
the space
3. The lack of features which recognise
cultural diversity
4. Unfamiliar activities

Addressing the creation of a
sense of belonging for members of ethnic
communities

1. Newcomers feeling like strangers
or intruders

This is especially true for
individuals and groups which feel
vulnerable. It is awkward for anyone to
be in a space which is new to them. There
is always a process of subtle social
negotiation. This is all the more true if
the green space is small, or even in a
larger space if they are surrounded by
others who use the space as their own and
have established their use of the
available areas at particular times for
their activities.

Some ways forward:

Obvious presence of park wardens

Park wardens who can be
purposefully aware of presence of
vulnerable groups and take action
to welcome and reassure them
about the use of the green space
- introduce themselves, talk to
them in a friendly way, show them
around the green space, talk
about and invite them to
activities they can join in with.

Outreach to ethnic community
groups inviting them to take part
in activities/clubs, and
purposefully introducing them to
people who will welcome them.

identifying the activities which
particular ethnic groups would
like to do and identifying a
space and legitimised
booked time for them
.

Run events/festivals which enable
different social groups from the
whole community, the main white
community and ethnic communities,
to participate in organising it
and to mix in a fun atmosphere.
See Green Space of the Month.
Abbeyfield Park, Sheffield on the
BEN website.

2. Being made unwelcome by others
who use the space

Sometimes there is the existence of
individuals and groups which openly
demonstrate that members of ethnic
communities are unwelcome. This can at
best be uncomfortable and at worst
threatening. Vulnerable individuals and
groups may simply not come back. Stronger
individuals and groups may stick it out
and find out the times when such
undesirable people are not there and they
can come and be left in peace. Another
scenario may be that angry young ethnic
minority people who no longer put up with
being considered not British
may hit back with words, or more
unfortunately get into fights.

Some ways forward:

Visible presence of duty
officers/wardens as reassurance,
supporting them so that they do
not give up and go away. When a
situation involves only
awkwardness, continued presence
legitimised by wardens may bring
acceptance.

Wardens/duty officers who are
prepared to intervene and who are
trained to deal with awkward
situations.

Have a picture of the problem in
relation to your neighbourhood.
Talk to schools, youth clubs,
social services and see if there
are aspects which each can
address.

3. The lack of features which
recognise cultural diversity

There are clearly areas where the
character of specific cultures is
expressed through highly visible
features, and we do not give this a
second thought. Chinatowns in various
cities are obvious examples. Besides
being places which ethnic groups
frequent, they have become a focus for
the general population to access
culturally defined pastimes... strolling
around enjoying the different ambience,
eating, browsing in shops for
entertainment and buying
curios. In areas where
particular ethnic groups run their
businesses, the shop signs in different
languages, the choice of colours for
shopfronts, the decorative elements -
these all give flavour and character to
an area. Many ethnic minority people see
these areas as real Comfort Zones,
enjoying places which have visible
features which recognise their presence
in society, and which provide cultural
links to their countries of origin...a
mixture of pride and nostalgia.

But, beyond these areas, there is a
need for more awareness of appropriate
opportunities to cultural recognition
through creating new artefacts which
express the recognition of cultural
presence in multi-cultural Britain.

Some ways forward:

Commissioning new artwork from a
range of cultures in a green
space.

Using green space for the
temporary exhibition of artwork
from different cultures.

Drawing attention to the many
features taken for granted as
common features of British parks,
identifying them as having their
origin in other cultures, and
interpreting them to demonstrate
the relationship of Britain to
other countries, e.g. pavilions,
pagodas, fountains.

Using green space for culturally
orientated activities, e.g.
identifying a space for Chinese
elderly to do Tai Chi early in
the morning, ensuring a feeling
of safety through the presence of
a warden.

Identify if possible areas in
your green space in which you can
create spaces which focus on
cultural aspects, with links to
the countries of origin of local
ethnic groups and which introduce
and create interest for the main
white population. e.g.
Multi-cultural gardens in a
public park. See Green Space of
the Month, Chumleigh Gardens.
Southwark on the BEN website.

Plants are features too. Some
ethnic groups long to see
features, including plants, which
have a spiritual meaning.
Identify places where you may be
able to develop new planting and
involve them in identifying
plants which have cultural or
spiritual meanings. Planting
these with them will support the
creation of a sense of ownership
and belonging.

Ethnic groups love to be enabled
to grow fresh herbs and
vegetables from their country of
origin. Allotments can reach out
to ethnic groups to offer an
opportunity and link with the
many allotments which already
have many different ethnic groups
participating and who sometimes
run a seed sharing scheme.

Some green spaces may be able to
find a patch of ground for ethnic
groups to grow herbs or
vegetables from their country of
origin. Some spaces have put up
greenhouses to extend the range
of things which it is possible to
grow.

4. Unfamiliar activities

Belonging to a place is about being
there and doing things. Increase the
range of activities which ethnic groups
may do. Green spaces may have activities
which are unfamiliar to particular ethnic
groups, or which are too expensive for
them to access.

Some ways forward:

Do some outreach work to interest
ethnic groups in a range of
activities and fund a taster
programme. Schemes such as those
run by Sport England are keen to
support efforts to involve
newcomers in various sports.

Once ethnic community groups are
really interested, if they cannot
afford to continue, the fact that
need is established means they
can be assisted to identify funds
which will support such
programmes of activities, e.g.
Awards for All will give up to
£5000 for activities for
disadvantaged groups.

Support ethnic community groups
to gain the capacity to organise
programmes of activities related
to your green space and to access
funding, perhaps together with
you, to implement them.

Link to other green spaces, which
can share expertise and
opportunities for ethnic
participation.

Enthuse them to address ethnic
inclusion. Bounce off each
other's efforts and expertise to
involve ethnic communities with
green spaces.

5. Monitoring and evaluation

In general, monitor your progress and
involve members of the ethnic communities
to work with you in increasing their
sense of belonging in relation to using
your green space. It is an important
basis for all the different levels of
involvement, from use for your space to
its care and improvement.

Your work will contribute not only to
an increasing involvement by ethnic
groups with your space, but to social
cohesion. It will not only benefit the
lives of ethnic groups, but ultimately
release their missing contribution.

See the many interesting examples on
green spaces in relation to ethnic
communities on Green Space of the
Month on the BEN website in the
Participation section. In particular, as
mentioned in this paper:

Abbeyfield Park. Sheffield

Chumleigh Gardens. Southwark

General information on ethnic
environmental participation. See
Resources section of the BEN website for
many downloadable items including:

Roots Culturfest

Ethnic Environmental Youth Work

Working with disadvantaged
groups on environmental projects
- some guidelines

There are many courses relating to
community development and building
relationships with target groups, e.g.
look at the training programmes of NCVO.

For advice, consultancy on action
plans, training and developmental support
relating to working within the physical
environment: